Narrator, "Cream"

In "Cream," an unnamed narrator tells a friend about an incident that happened to him when he was 18 years old. The narrator received an invitation to a piano recital from someone he once took lessons with. He and the girl were barely acquaintances, so he was confused, but decided to attend. Upon arriving, he discovered that the neighborhood where the recital was supposedly being held was completely deserted—there was no recital. In a nearby park, the narrator began to have a panic attack. He was then joined by an old man, who asked him to imagine a "circle with many centers" (18) but no circumference. When the narrator said it was difficult to imagine, the old man replied, "There's nothing worth getting in this world that you can get easily" (20).

At this time in his life, the narrator was feeling especially lonely and anxious because he failed...